9 / 40
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
“Our hope is that we can also get matching
funds from private donors to increase the
total HFFI to over $5 million.”
This Commission will present a report to
the Legislature on why there should be
funding for Healthy Food Financing in
underserved communities. We know that
in addition to increasing families’ access
to healthy foods, new and improved
grocery stores can help revitalize lower-
income neighborhoods by generating foot
traffic and will attract complementary
services such as banks, pharmacies and
restaurants, thus reducing poverty and
crime.
It also creates and maintains local jobs
through new hiring opportunities and
provides upgrades and renovations that
help keep stores viable, helping to retain
existing jobs in local communities.
We know this type of financing and
projects will work. This type of model was
first established in Pennsylvania with the
state’s Fresh Food Financing Initiative.
Seeded with $30 million, FFFI was
designed to accommodate the diverse
financing needs of large chain markets,
family owned grocery stores, farmers’
markets and other food retailers.
Pennsylvania’s program across the state
supported 88 fresh food retail projects,
represented more than 5,000 jobs created
or retained and improved access to
healthy foods for over 400,000 state
residents.
We are asking our legislators for $1.3
million for the next two years to get this
initiative started. Our hope is that we
can also get matching funds from private
donors to increase the total HFFI to over
$5 million.
We have had great support from our
legislators on our Commission – Senators
Greg Reed and Bobby Singleton and
Representatives James Buskey and
Connie Rowe. Please be sure to thank
these legislators and encourage your local
legislators to keep these funds in our
budget for Healthy Food Financing as we
move through the budget process in the
2017 Legislative Cycle.
9
ALABAMA GROCER |